The Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach (BWV 1046–1051, original title: Six Concerts à plusieurs instruments) are a collection of six instrumental works presented by Bach to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt,[2] in 1721 (though probably composed earlier). They are widely regarded as some of the best orchestral compositions of the Baroque era. In the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major BWV 1051 the absence of violins is unusual. Viola da braccio means the normal viola, and is used here to distinguish it from the "viola da gamba". When the work was written in 1721, the viola da gamba was already an old-fashioned instrument: the strong supposition that one viola da gamba part was taken by his employer, Prince Leopold, also points to a likely reason for the concerto's composition—Leopold wished to join his Kapellmeister playing music.
VIDEO: Herbert Blendinger, viola Ingo Sinnhofer, viola Oswald Uhl, viola da gamba Hans Dieter Kruse, viola da gamba Peter Steiner, cello Franz Ortner, double bass Karl Richter, Münchener Bach Orchester
